1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of design and construction of shoes. More particularly, the present invention relates to shoe bottoms for women general footwear.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A shoe is generally comprised of an upper, an insole or midsole, and a sole. The upper comes in contact with the foot of a user and may be made of leather straps, synthetic material or cloth, and is commonly called a sandal. The upper also may be made to cover the whole foot and is commonly called a pump, moccasin or boot. The insole is the part of the shoe upon which the foot rests. The sole is part of the shoe which comes in contact with the ground. The function of the sole is to withstand abrasion, be flexible, and comfortable.
Typically, in the construction of a shoe, the sole can be attached to the insole by adhesive means, while the heel has to be nailed to a very structurally strong insole. In addition, the insole also provides another function for holding firmly together the platform and the heel portions of the sole. Therefore, it is specially made to provide a body to the shoe having the function of serving as the backbone in the structure.
High heel shoes are generally constructed of high heel soles. A high heel sole typically consists of a forward toe portion and a raised heel portion. An insole overlies the upper side of the sole and is suitably sealed and secured thereto in a conventional manner. The high heel is then attached to the raised heel portion of the sole by conventional means.
One of the problems in constructing the prior art high heel shoes is that they often have very complicated structures. This often increases the manufacturing costs. Another problem with prior art high heel shoes is that they are not durable. Oftentimes the high heel is made of plastic which can easily break and also has problems such as nails coming off. In most prior art design and construction of the shoe, the high heel is directly attached to the raised heel portion of the sole of the shoe. Therefore, the strength and durability of the attachment is limited by the properties of the materials being used for the construction of the heel and the sole of the shoe.
The following ten (10) prior art patents are found to be pertinent to the field of the present invention:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 2,165,427 issued to Vigorith et al. on Jul. 11, 1939 for "Shoe Sole And Heel Construction" (hereafter the "Vigorith Patent"); PA1 2. U.S. Pat. No. 2,303,431 issued to Brophy on Dec. 1, 1942 for "Shoe And Shoe Bottom Unit" (hereafter the "Brophy Patent"); PA1 3. U.S. Pat. No. 2,912,772 issued to Harrison on Nov. 17, 1959 for "Shoe Structure Having Molded Basic Units" (hereafter the "Harrison Patent"); PA1 4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,074 issued to Rabin et al. on Feb. 14, 1978 for "Ladies Shoe Construction" (hereafter the "Rabin Patent"); PA1 5. U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,769 issued to Rigon on Apr. 22, 1980 for "Boots Of Injection Molded Plastic" (hereafter the "Rigon Patent"); PA1 6. U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,070 issued to Ughi on Jan. 13, 1981 for "Sole With Heel For Women Footwears Or Shoes, And Method For Quickly And Economically Making Said Soles With Corresponding Heels" (hereafter the "Ughi Patent"); PA1 7. Belgium Patent No. 555,776 (hereafter the "Belgium Patent"); PA1 8. French Patent No. 917,9160 (hereafter the "'910 French Patent"); PA1 9. French Patent No. 1,168,711 (hereafter the "'711 French Patent"); and PA1 10. French Patent No. 1,400,932 (hereafter the "'932 French Patent").
The Vigorith Patent discloses a shoe sole and heel construction. It comprises a sole with a rear portion for attachment to a heel. The rear portion has an anchoring portion with a recess for receiving a tongue which is attached to the heel. The tongue is permanently affixed to the recess for securing the heel to the sole. The Vigorith Patent does not teach an interchangeable heel.
The Brophy Patent discloses a shoe and shoe bottom unit. It comprises a high heel portion, and a shank portion which is integral with the heel portion and extends forwardly and downwardly from the upper part of the heel portion to form a flat sole-attaching face. A sole is attached to the face of the shank portion by cement. The Brophy Patent does not teach an interchangeable heel.
The Harrison Patent discloses a shoe structure having molded basic units. It comprises a basic sole unit and a unitary heel and shank unit. The basic sole unit has a bottom heel area, a forepart sole area, and an intervening shank area merged with the bottom heel area and with the forepart sole area. The unitary heel and shank unit is respectively affixed to the bottom heel area and the intervening shank area. The Harrison Patent does not teach an interchangeable heel.
The Rabin Patent discloses ladies shoe construction. It comprises a heel, an outsole, an insole, a filler, a liner, and an upper. The Rabin Patent does not teach an interchangeable heel.
The Rigon Patent discloses boots of injection molded plastic. It comprises a reinforced arch and heel construction to which a reinforced insole member is formed in a single piece with a rigid heel portion.
The Ughi Patent discloses a sole with heel for women's footwear or shoes, and method for quickly and economically making said soles with corresponding heels. The Ughi Patent does not teach an interchangeable heel.
The Belgium Patent, as disclosed from the figures shows a heel portion, a shank portion, and a forepart portion, wherein the shank portion is affixed to the top of the heel portion and the forepart portion is affixed to the lower end of the shank portion.
The '910 French Patent, as disclosed from the figures shows a shank portion affixed to a heel assembly.
The '711 French Patent, as disclosed from the figures shows a three-piece shoe unit.
The '932 Patent, as disclosed form the figures shows a two-piece shoe unit.
It is desirable to design and construct a unitary shoe bottom which is easy to handle, durable and inexpensive to manufacture. It is also desirable to have a very efficient and also very effective design and construction of a unitary shoe bottom to overcome the problems of the prior art.